Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Bill Murray has been confirmed to play Franklin D. Roosevelt in historical drama ''Hyde Park on Hudson,'' which Focus Features International is unveiling to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival next week.

Pic, which is based on a British radio play by Richard Nelson, is set in 1939 and follows the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to President Roosevelt's upstate New York home, called Springwoord, near Hyde Park on Hudson.

Over the course of the weekend visit, which took place the summer before World War II broke out, details of FDR's private life begin to unfold, including his affair with his distant cousin Daisy.

Roger Michell (''Notting Hill'') is on board to direct the story, which he also produces alongside Kevin Loader (''In the Loop'') and David Aukin.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118036442

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Bill Murray as FDR? interesting.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

No, no, Dan Aykroyd as FDR, Bill Murray as Wendell Wilkie:

http://www.nndb.com/people/236/00004...ann3-sized.jpg

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Anyone know anything about the play? Is it a comedy? Seriocomedy?

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Sounds interesting. I would suspect that it is probably closer to a drama than comedy. But I have no doubt that Murray will be able to throw in several one liners to get in some laughs.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

If they can get Colin Firth and Helena Botham-Carter to reprise their roles from The Kings Speech this would be a smash hit.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Kings Speech coat-tail riding Oscar bait.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Hey hey now. This has Bill Murray that alone makes it more interesting than King's Speech.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

*In Carl the groundskeeper from Caddyshack voice:

"The only way to defeat the Japanese is to think like the Japanese..........."

*In Venkman Ghostbusters voice:

Aide: "Mr President, the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor"
FDR: "Mother Pussbucket"

This could work.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

I'm probably one of the few people on Earth who doesn't think Bill Murray is all that funny, yet really seems to enjoy him in dramatic roles.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Funny - I have the same opinion of Will Ferrell. Trailer for his new film looks pretty good.

As for the original post - I'm confused. It makes it sounds like it's been completed, but then at the end it sounds like it's just getting started. The concept/package is going to be sold to buyers?

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

UPDATE: I was slightly misinformed on Laura Linney. Am told by her camp she will play Daisy, the distant cousin of FDR (Bill Murray), whose affair with the president is revealed during the visit of the Royal Couple to the Roosevelt estate. I thought she wasn't a good physical match for Eleanor Roosevelt and there you go. They are still casting the First Lady.

EXCLUSIVE: We've known since late March that Bill Murray was likely to play Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Roger Michell-directed Hyde Park on the Hudson. Now, I'm hearing that Laura Linney is making a deal to play his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. What a cast to provide some high drama during a visit by King George VI to Hyde Park, the upstate New York home of the Roosevelt duo. The visit took place in 1939, as momentum toward WWII was building, and also as it was becoming clear that FDR was having an affair with his cousin Daisy. The Richard Nelson script will be a hot sales title next week for Focus Features at the Cannes Film Festival. Besides her acclaimed Showtime series The Big C, Linney will next be seen in The Details, starring with Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks in the Jacob Aaron Estes-directed film that premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by The Weinstein Company. Linney is repped by ICM and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

http://www.deadline.com/?s=laura+linney

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

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Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

:thumbsup: Looks good. I hadn't heard about this before seeing the thread today but I'm interested.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

It does kind of look like one of those films that you're never really excited to see, but feel compelled to during awards season. But, the trailer does have a tinge of Wes Anderson to it (or maybe it's just because it features two actors from Rushmore)... so I'd definitely see it! (marketing dept did their job)

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

I'm sure I'll watch this at some point since I tend to watch anything with Murray but the subject matter doesn't interest me. Looks like Oscar bait.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Ouch. It does look like Oscar bait. I'll still see it though.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

If it's got Murray in a live action form...I'm there.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

I am very excited that I'll be seeing this film on Saturday. Can't wait to see Bill Murray as FDR.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

It's a pretty good movie. Bill Murray and Laura Linney are predictably excellent. Olivia Williams steals every scene she's in as the FLOTUS.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Saw it today and it's one of my most favorite movies now, really enjoyed it. Off to Wikipedia the heck out of the subject matter now. Question: Now I want to go watch Lost In Translation because BM does drama well.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

I'm a Bill Murray fan and I like FDR, but the trailer makes the movie look so boring! I know I'll have to make my mind up on seeing it soon, as it won't play long. The awards buzz doesn't seem to be as strong for this as I initially anticipated.

Re: Hyde Park on Hudson-Bill Murray as FDR
 

Boring is the right word for this. Despite being a huge Bill Murray fan and a presidential history buff, this is just a dull slog of a movie for the most part. Murray isn't bad but doesn't convince for one second as FDR or that he's actually Preisdent and not some aging horndog. Laura Linney is awful and drags it down every scene she's in. The only scenes that actually interested me were those between FDR and the King... That would've been a better hook for the movie than the lame romance. Badly written and mostly poor casting... Blah.